Assoc. Prof Mohamad Abdalla and his Applied Islam class students at Kuraby Mosque were interviewed extensively by Four Corners to show the grassroots efforts of the local community towards stemming radicalization.

Dr Abdalla told CCN that he was extremely disappointed at the fact that little more than 20 seconds of the day's interviews were included in the programme.

He expressed his concerns in a letter to the producer of the Four Corners programme, Geoff Thompson:

Dear Geoff,

I hope that you are well. I have just finished watching the program with my family.

I was seriously disappointed and disheartened with the final product. I have no problems in the fact that the program showed the criminality of these so-called 'Jihadists' (a term that should not be used to define them), but the program was far from being 'balanced' and aimed at finding solutions.

When you wanted our involvement you said this:

"We are very aware of the positive, engaging, efforts underway within Muslim communities to encourage young people towards this end - but the wider Australian community often doesn't get to see these efforts. That is why we want to come to Brisbane to film yourself and the young people engaged in your program. The aim is to show the quiet but extraordinary work you do to help guide young people and to showcase the fact that nurturing thought and reasonable debate is what we all need."

Far from showing the "positive, engaging, efforts underway within the Muslim communities", the program concentrated (yet again) on a very small group who are not representative of Islam and Muslims. And although few people on the show spoke about the need of prevention (not intervention) the program did not demonstrate to the "wider Australian community" the "positive, engaging, efforts underway within Muslim communities to encourage young people towards this end." The program could have demonstrated to the "wider Australian community...the quiet but extraordinary work...to help guide young people and to showcase the fact nurturing thought and reasonable debate is what we all need."

Perhaps, the wider Australian audience would have been relieved to see that most young Australian Muslims are decent people, and our Applied Islam would have been a wonderful way to showcase this.

My wife and son (AJ) also watched the program, and are feeling more threatened and scared than before. We were meant to fly to Sydney soon but both are hesitating after watching the program.

I did express our concerns that the community is traumatised by media's coverage, and that's why they didn't want to engage. You assured me that your intent is different. I trusted you and believed that there might be an opportunity for some positive reporting. My students hesitated but trusted you and your team after giving you the opportunity to witness first-hand the positive, engaging and reasonable debate within their classroom. They will be extremely disappointed now. You have succeeded in entrenching their mistrust in media.

Mohamad Abdalla | A/Professor

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A recent poll of Australians suggests that almost half of us believe the confronting scenes of terrorism from Paris are inevitable or highly likely to occur in Australia.

If that is the case, how should we feel about the Muslim population in our own country?

Just as importantly, how do Muslim Australians feel about these issues? To find some answers I decided to speak to not just a Muslim, but an Australian Muslim woman, Fatima Deen. Like me, her family has been in Australia since the 1880s.

In the light of the Paris attacks - and the role of a Muslim woman in the terrorist cell - her thoughts were revealing.

We spoke about those Muslim Australians who have gone overseas to fight, or who are supporting terrorism from here.

"I find it saddening, I really do, and I find it scary. I wish I knew what went wrong or what was in their minds," she said.

"I feel like they've been misled, and they are probably quite naive and don't understand what they're doing, or what their religion is about, either."

It is clear that they have neither her support, nor her sympathy.

"When I first heard about suicide bombers … the first time I heard the word jihad, I was in university. I'd never heard of these things growing up. What my parents told me was that if you committed suicide, you'd go straight to hell. It was never a case that you'd kill somebody; it was just not the done thing."

Most emphatically, she doesn't think they are good Muslims or good people.

"I think they're ill-guided and they don't know what they are talking about. I feel for Muslims and I feel for people being hurt all over the world, but I don't think the answer is to put a bomb on myself and blow up people.

"They just don't see the bigger picture. They're not really making any significant assistance to anyone's plight," she said.

I also found that Fatima and I shared common ground on the screening of supposed refugees. Like me, she believes we need to be extremely stringent in the way we assess applicants, and for a simple reason.

"I think Australia owes it to its citizens to ensure they're protected. We are entitled to put guidelines on who comes to this country - why not? Otherwise you just open the borders.

"You have to have some criteria and guidelines, because you need to protect the people who are within the borders already.

"Don't you have a duty to them?

"I'm an Australian, and I fear that if I'm in the public where these suicide bombers go, I fear for my children. I want that my children are able to go freely anywhere, but I'm scared of these people."

What becomes clear fairly quickly is that the mainstream media does a poor job of reflecting views of Muslims like her, and many others.

"People don't realise they encounter Muslims every day, probably. Some of us are more obvious than others. The media does tend to speak to people who most obviously fit the role of the Muslim because they wear the hijab or have the big beard," she said.

Clearly the media can do a better job, and that particularly applies to how Muslim women are largely ignored by the media.

"You don't have women priests in Islam; they are all male. The Imams, the Grand Mufti, they're all male. So whenever anyone is spoken to about what is happening in the world they focus on them."

Fatima believes these people represent the views of the Muslim community to some extent, but not always. She points out that in reality there are a wide range of views in the Muslim community, as there are in the Catholic community.

"You'll find there are Muslims that are very right wing in their political views, and you'll find ones that are very left wing in their politics and their outlook on life."

What is interesting is the role Muslim mothers play in shaping the views of their community. Fatima reflected on the perception of Muslim women as passive: "Not the ones I know!" she insisted.

"In my mum's family they are definitely not passive; they're the dominant ones in the family for sure. I think all of my uncles kowtow to my aunties."

In fact, Fatima told me her mother brought her and her sister up to be independent. So much so that when she did poorly in school her mother sat her down and said she had two options: she could either get married and have a boring life; or she could go back to year 12, put her head down, and then go to university and be independent.

Which brought me to what she would say to her own sons about growing up in Australia.

"I'm Australian, born and bred, I'm then asked where my parents came from. My children look Indian, or at least a mix of something, so I tell them of their heritage - being Indian, Scottish, Irish - but ultimately they are Australian. That is the country, culture and values that I and they will identify with.

"My husband comes from an atheist background, but we have common values, so we want to raise our children to have those common values, and that is the same if you are a Muslim, Christian, atheist, Jew, and that is be good to other people."

I agree. Perhaps if we could all put away some of our hate, and work together for some common goals, Australia would be a better, more harmonious place. It's up to all of us.
 

Source: Brisbane Times

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Some in the media have decried the response of Ibrahim Abu Mohamed to the Paris terrorist attacks.

Here, according to this week’s media reports, are some of the enraging things Mohamed had to communicate (and some clarifications).

1. Nothing about Paris

Seven News reporter Bryan Seymour traipsed to the far western Sydney suburb of Fairfield on Tuesday to visit the radio station where the grand mufti ordinarily works.

But Mohamed, reportedly suffering health problems, was not there. At the door instead was one of his staff, Habib Masri.

Just to be sure, Seymour asked him what he thought of the Paris attacks: “I am against what happened, these are innocent people. It’s terrible,” Masri said.

Outside, Seymour solemnly turned to the camera. “And there we have Habib Masri, who works for the grand mufti, and broadcasts a radio station in his name,” he said.

“He’s just told us he thinks the attacks in Paris were terrible. The question everyone wants answered is: what does the grand mufti think?”

2. Stubbornly refused to condemn the Paris attacks

Ever since political correctness went mad, it’s been rare to see African or Middle Eastern men portrayed in poses usually reserved for monkeys.

But that’s how Sydney’s Daily Telegraph illustrated its “see no evil” front page on Wednesday, featuring this breathless take on Mohamed’s statement.

It opened: “Australia’s grand mufti faced widespread criticism yesterday for his stubborn refusal to condemn the Paris terror attacks.”
 

3. Condemned the attacks, but not without reservation

A variation on the theme above was delivered by the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, who told Sydney’s 2GB: “There is no excuse and there is no qualification and the opportunity is there for the grand mufti to … make it very clear that he condemns these acts of terrorism, these murderous acts, without reservation.”

The problem was Mohamed had referred to “causative factors”, including racism, foreign policy, military intervention and increased powers for police and intelligence services.

It’s one thing to question whether it was appropriate to include this discussion in a statement expressing condolences for France’s dead. But Mohamed would not be the first to say these factors have helped spark the latest spate of Islam-inspired terrorism.
 

4. Used the word “condemn”, but not in the present tense, and not directly in connection with the Paris attacks

Yet another variation on the theme of condemnation was delivered, then deleted, by an AAP reporter in Canberra, who tweeted a second statement by the mufti on Wednesday, intended to address his critics.

“Grand Mufti and Imams Council clarify Sunday’s statement on Paris attacks. Still don’t condemn attacks,” the reporter tweeted.
 

5. Left dangling whose side he was on

According to the Australian’s Janet Albrechtsen, “it’s not good enough that the grand mufti … said racism and Islamophobia must be addressed”.

Nor should he have said the world’s anti-terrorism strategies were failing, or called for “people of goodwill to stand against fear mongering and injustice”.

You might disagree, but so far, fair criticism. Then things escalated: “This is not just ineffective leadership, it’s counter-productive. And it’s dangerous. We are in a battle against Islamist terrorists. Whose side is the grand mufti on?”
 

Source: The Guardian

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The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) declared Friday 27th November 2015 as
‘National Khutbah (Sermon) Day’ in conjunction with ‘International Day for the Elimination
of Violence against Women’ which fell on Wednesday 25th November 2015.

ANIC called upon Imams around the country to deliver this coming Friday’s khutbah (sermon) denouncing all forms of domestic violence.

The media release said: Kind and compassionate treatment of women is so significant in Islam that in his farewell pilgrimage sermon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Treat women well for they are your helpers and partners.”

The Grand Mufti of Australia, His Eminence Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed said: “Domestic violence is a growing problem in Australia and it is the community’s obligation to stand against all forms of violence in the home targeting women, children and aging parents.”
 

The Grand Mufti said: “Each and every Australian Imam shares in the obligation to educate the community about the evils and harms of domestic violence. Hence I call upon Imams to rally in full support of the campaign to denounce domestic violence in their Mosques.”

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Dear Reclaim Australia,

Out of genuine curiosity, I visited your website to find out what this ‘Reclaim Australia’ malarkey is all about. You all seem to be very worked up, so I’m hoping this letter lets you off the hook and gives you your weekends and evenings back to enjoy this great country we live in, free of hatred and bitterness. You’re welcome.

First of all, the name of your movement is a problem. ‘Reclaim’ is defined as ‘to get back (something that was lost or taken away)’. You say you want to ‘reclaim Australia’, so I can only assume that you think you have lost Australia, or Australia has been taken from you and that you want to get it back. From my experience of the English language, in order to get something back, that something would have to belong to you in the first place. So are you saying you own Australia? I hope you’re not, because I find it very upsetting to think my country is owned by anyone. I live in a free democratic society. It is not owned by you. It does not belong to the government. UK’s Royal Family don’t own Australia. The fact is, Australia doesn’t belong to anyone. Because everyone who lives in Australia belongs to it. Every single person. Those born here. Those who used to live somewhere else and now live here. Every Australian from every age group, gender, religion, cultural background, occupation, absolutely everyone who calls Australia home for a long time or a short time, everyone who goes to bed each night and wakes up each morning in Australia, belongs to Australia. Not the other way around. I hope you understand this important distinction. There is no way to reclaim something that doesn’t belong to you, so therefore there is no logical way to reclaim Australia. I’m glad we’ve cleared this up.

Another mistake you seem to have made in revving up fear, anger and hatred towards your fellow Australians, presumably because you are scared of anyone who is not like you, and of people who experience Australia differently than you do, is to accuse one particular group of Australians of taking Australia away from you. I find this idea ridiculous. If you don’t like the religion of Islam, don’t be Islamic. If you don’t like Islamic cultural practices, don’t practice them. If you don’t like Islamic people, leave them alone. They’re not hurting you, so why are you attacking them?
 

I don’t like seafood so I don’t eat seafood. Everyone else in my family likes seafood, and when they are enjoying their seafood, it doesn’t upset me because I have chosen to eat something else instead, such as chicken. I don’t rally against their prawns. I don’t throw their whiting at the wall in anger and make placards and whip up fellow non-seafood-eaters into a frenzy, organising hate rallies and unleashing gangs of face-tattooed-thugs to tell seafood eaters they are taking something from me that wasn’t mine in the first place.

Not that it’s any of your business, but I happen to be an atheist and have zero interest in any religion. But just like I don’t care if my family eats seafood, I don’t care if the family next door goes to church and worships a God I happen to believe doesn’t exist. I don’t care if the family next door goes to a Mosque and worships a different God I happen to believe doesn’t exist. Why don’t I care? Because other people’s seafood eating, and religious worship has no impact on my life and is therefore none of my business.

In this article a Reclaim Australia organiser, John Oliver, is quoted as saying ‘the vast majority of Reclaim supporters … are ordinary mums and dads’. If by ordinary, you mean racist, sure, they’re ordinary. In fact Islam isn’t a race but you’re still all racists and bigots and yes, I do call a spade a ‘spade’. I don’t like the idea of ‘mums and dads’ behaving in this way, taking their children to hate rallies, spreading lies about peaceful Australia loving Islamic Australians, bringing up children to fear and reject people who are different rather than embracing diversity and enjoying the cultural benefits of a multicultural and therefore, interesting, society. But really, if you want to be a racist bigot, that’s your business. I just wish you wouldn’t parade it around the streets where my family and friends are frightened by it.

Reclaim Australia is not about defending, in your words, ‘Aussies and Christianity, our holidays and celebrations, Christmas and Easter and ANZAC day’ as you may have noticed that these things are all safe and well and continuing as they always have without you needing to help them in any way. Reclaim Australia is not about ridding Australia, in your words, of ‘the ways of Islam’, including cultural considerations, Halal, forced segregation, female genital mutilation (which by the way also happens in Christian cultures), Sex Trafficking (also not an ‘Islamic’ problem) and wife beating (which you might have noticed is at epidemic proportions across all demographics in Australia, why don’t you rally against that?). Your website says ‘They have no place here in Australia’ and it’s clear by ‘they’ you mean anyone who is not white like you. But you’re wrong about this. All Australians belong to Australia. What there really is no place for is racism and bigotry, hate, violence and your scary, angry, unhinged and often armed brand of white-supremacy-extremism.

Frankly, the very thought of your organisation existing, and people who I possibly stand next to at the supermarket, and drive with on the roads, and maybe even live nearby, supporting your cause is terrifying. Terror. Terrorism. See what you’re doing? You’re terrorising Australia. If that’s what you set out to do, then *fist pump*, well done, you’ve achieved it. If you feel so sad that you don’t ‘belong’ in Australia anymore that you need to organise hate rallies against Australian society on our previously peaceful streets, maybe it is time you considered belonging somewhere else. Maybe you should leave Australia in peace.

Yours sincerely
Victoria Rollison
 

Source: The AIM Network

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Dr Lynda MacLeod, Acting Principal, announce this week that Ms Miriam Silva had been appointed as Chair of the Islamic College of South Australia Board.

The Islamic College of South Australia is one of six schools around Australia that on 13 November were served with Commonwealth non-compliance notices. All six are affiliated with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils and were given 28 days in which to demonstrate to the Commonwealth that they will comply. Non-compliance could result in the removal of government funding upon which all of the schools rely.

Ms Silva, who has executive experience across diverse sectors, has much experience of Governing Boards and Councils including:

• South Australian Training and Skills Commission (Deputy Chair) 2011 - 2012 Training Regulation Reference Group (Chair) 2011 - 2012

• Planning, Finance and Performance Committee for SACE Board (Member) 2011 – 2014

• AgSafe Board (Member) 2011 - 2012

• Premier’s Council for Women (Member) 2012 – Current

• Director TAFE SA Board 2012 – current; Finance and Audit Subcommittee for TAFE SA Board 2012 – Current

• South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission 2011 – Current

• University of South Australia Council Member 2013 – Current

• Wilderness School Council of Governors 2011 – Current

• South Australian Film Corporation Board Member 2014 - Current

• Member Australian Defence Materiel Organisation Diversity Advisory Group -Current

• CEDA National Board 2015 – Current

• President CEDA SA State Advisory Board 2015 – Current.

She was also appointed this week as president of the advisory board for SA and NT of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).

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The Sun has recently faced criticism for claiming that 1 in 5 British Muslims have voiced “sympathy for jihadis” fighting in Syria. You can jump over here to see all the reasons why that claim has been called misleading.

OR: You could just dismiss that statistic as obviously ridiculous and enjoy all the #1in5Muslims trolling from Twitter instead.

Source: Buzzfeed

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The General Assembly of the Australian National Imams Council held its ninth session from Saturday,14 November to Sunday, 15 November in Sydney.

The AGM was convened in conjunction with a National Imams Islamic Conference that lasted two days.

The AGM hosted Imams from Councils of Imams representing the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and ACT.

The General Assembly of the Australian National Imams Council discussed and considered numerous topics and affairs that concern the Australian Muslims at home and abroad, it also discussed various proposals on different strategies and future plans for ANIC and the Australian Muslim community.

From amongst those proposals were: FATWA & Research strategy, Da’wah & Education strategy, Muslim Family Affairs strategy, Community Engagement strategy and Media & PR strategy were amongst the various topics that were deliberated upon.

At this Ninth ANIC AGM, the following ANIC office bearers were elected:

1. Imam Shady Alsuleiman : NSW President
2. Imam Abdel Aziem Abdel Rahman Afifi : VIC Vice President
3. Imam Moustapha Sarakibi : VIC Secretary
4. Imam Mohamad Khamis : NSW Assistant Secretary
5. Imam Mohamed Imraan Husain : QLD Treasurer
6. Imam Yusuf Peer : QLD Assistant Treasurer
7. Imam Dr. Ibrahim Abu Mohammad : NSW Mufti of Australia
8. Imam Abdul Salam Zoud : NSW Executive Member
9. Imam Abdul Moez Nafti : NSW Executive Member
10. Imam Shabbir Ahmad : NSW Executive Member
11. Imam Mohamad Abou Eid : VIC Executive Member
12. Imam Mogamat Majidih Essa : VIC Executive Member
13. Imam Abdulla Abdalhamid Hawari : VIC Executive Member
14. Imam Riad El Rifai : SA Executive Member
15. Imam Ameen Abou Samaha : SA Executive Member
16. Imam Burhaan Mehtar : WA Executive Member
17. Imam Faizel Gaffoor : WA Executive Member
18. Imam Adama Konda : ACT Executive Member

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THE Islamic Society of Central Queensland have condemned an advertisement placed by controversial businessman Dominic Doblo as "hate filled" and false.

They have called for peace and harmony within the region and asked those with genuine concerns about Islam to contact the society directly "and avoid looking at the situation as an opportunity for political leverage".

The advertisement, which ran in The Morning Bulletin last week, made "extremist Muslim" allegations about a guest speaker at an Islamic Open Day on June 7, 2014.

The event was attended by politicians, the media, Queensland Police Service, the wider community and Mr Doblo.

In a group statement released late yesterday, the Central Queensland Muslim community cited a Facebook post from Mr Doblo praising the event.

"Attended the Islamic open day," Mr Doblo wrote on Facebook on June 7, 2014.

"Very genuine people who made me feel more than welcome."

The statement said the guest speaker, Waseem Razvi, who spoke at the event, is part of an organisation which "frequently works with Christian, Jewish and Buddhist communities creating bridges and understanding".
 

As reported in The Morning Bulletin on October 6, Deakin University defended Mr Razvi's appearance at the function which Mr Doblo questioned in the advertisement.

"As we write this statement, Mr Razvi is attending an interfaith event organised by Ballarat Interfaith Network at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," the statement said.

"We would suggest Mr Doblo seek justification from the organisers and attendees of this event since it is happening right now before questioning an event that took place 18 months ago."

They said there were also upset by Mr Doblo's statement that "Rockhampton Muslims want to be accepted".

"We correct you (Mr Doblo) there, we do not want to be accepted but rather we know that we are accepted by the community and we have accepted this community and Rockhampton as our home.

"We identify ourselves as proud Australian Muslims.

"After all the unGodly violence that has taken place in France, Lebanon and now Mali; humans all over the globe are in shock and pain.

"This is not the time to manipulate these emotions for one's own political gains and definitely not through paid advertisements.

"Manipulation of human emotions are tactics used by extremists and that is exactly what they want us to do; to divide and hate each other. Because more than anything these extremists fear our unity."

The statement concluded that the society would "continue to uphold the value of compassion and patience" before wishing peace upon Mr Doblo and the region.

Mr Doblo last night declined to respond.
 

Source: The Morning Bulletin

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A soldier who converted to Islam says he was branded a "security risk" and told he would never be promoted because of his religion.

The lance bombardier claims he was also excluded from group counselling sessions and told to find another job "if he wanted to practise Islam properly".

As a drone pilot from the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition regiment, he spent eight months in Afghanistan in 2011 where he was immersed in the world of military intelligence.

"He's a skilled operator of one of the most technical pieces of equipment we have in the Army," said military lawyer Brian Briggs, who is pursuing a separate compensation claim on behalf of the Brisbane-based soldier.

"He witnessed some pretty atrocious things where he saw people being killed, not on a daily, but certainly on a regular basis.

"How he's being treated is certainly not good enough."

Anthony John (not his real name) enlisted in the army after the September 11 terrorism attacks in 2001. Eight months later he married an Indonesian woman and converted to Islam.

As a serving member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), he asked not be identified as he feared being targeted by those with an extreme view of Islam.

He believes some of those who serve alongside him fall into that category.

Mr John said he had experienced discrimination repeatedly during his 13-year career, much of it perpetrated by senior army members.

In 2008 — before he joined the surveillance unit — he said a senior army member berated him in front of a group of soldiers.

"My immediate supervisor told me that I would never be deployed or promoted because I'm a security risk," Mr John said. "Because I was a Muslim."

Soldier's colleague fined over anti-Islamic Facebook post

In 2013, a member of his unit posted on social media that all Muslims were "filthy", "scum" and "worthless".

"If they go overseas with that sort of attitude, in a country where they are predominately Muslim, then we're not really setting a good example for ourselves," Mr John said.

"In fact, we're probably making [ourselves] targets."
Mr John reported the Facebook abuse through his chain of command.

The member responsible was fined $400 and forced to apologise. Mr John said the incident made him deeply unpopular within the regiment.

Last year, he asked to work flexible hours during Ramadan. When his request was refused he approached an Army chaplain for advice.

He said the chaplain suggested he "find another job if he wanted to practise Islam properly".

"I said, 'are you serious?' And he said, 'yes'."

'No evidence' to support discrimination claim

Again he reported the incident internally. But this time he was advised he could be charged with making a vexatious complaint.

Although the Army conceded the conversation had occurred, his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bede Galvin, said there was no evidence to substantiate his discrimination claim.

His commanding officer suggested it was simply a misunderstanding.

"It clearly was not a misunderstanding between two people," Mr John said.

"I had definitely sought the right advice through the systems available within the military."

The routine inquiry which followed recommended administrative action be taken against Mr John.
 

The lance bombardier was criticised for using a "religious angle" in his complaint and of being "uncompromising in his expectations".

His commanding officer said there had been "confusion" on both sides and cleared the chaplain of any wrongdoing.

"It was a legitimate complaint," Mr John said. "I hadn't just flown off the handle."

"All I wanted to do was do my job."

He then took his case to the Inspector General of the ADF (IGADF) — an independent body set up to deal with unresolved matters of military justice.

The IGADF found a warrant officer in Mr John's unit had a leadership style that was "incompatible" with the contemporary ADF.

But in a subsequent meeting in June, Lieutenant Colonel Galvin questioned his decision to go outside the chain of command.

"The fact that you went through an anonymous complaint to [IGADF]," Lieutenant Colonel Galvin said, "It would have been very different if you'd given the complaint to me."

"If I don't know about it, I can't do anything about it, and if I lose control of it, I can't help you."

Lawyer Brian Briggs said the alleged discrimination has had a "severe impact" on his client and his family.

"He hasn't been able to celebrate Ramadan with his wife," he said.

"He's been excluded from courses. He wasn't able to participate in group therapy counselling sessions because of his religion.

"I know that [the ADF] will be investigating this because it's not a good look."

ADF should not be demonising Muslims: wife

Mr John's wife has now written to Chief of Army Angus Campbell urging him to intervene.

"Muslims should not be demonised in the Australian Defence Force," she wrote to Lieutenant-General Campbell last month.

She has not received a response.

There are 102 Muslims among the 57,000 permanent members of the ADF.

Mona Shindy, one of the ADF's top-ranking Islamic officers and Navy weapons engineer, expressed concern about the incident involving the chaplain.

"I find it quite alarming to think that a chaplain could say something like that," she said.

The Australian Navy has recently introduced special Islamic dress for female officers, Halal food options and appointed a Muslim chaplain.

"A Muslim lives their life by specific values which are not too different from Defence values," Captain Shindy said.

"Fostering a culture within the Defence Force that is inclusive, that celebrates ... that tapestry of our society is what makes us a truly effective, efficient and powerful force."

The ADF confirmed the soldier's complaints were investigated, but would not discuss the case for privacy reasons.

In a statement an ADF spokesman said the Australian Army was "committed to being an inclusive organisation and any feelings of disenfranchisement by an Army member or their family on the basis of religion were of concern".

The spokesman said the Army was "seeking to recruit across a broad section of Australia's multicultural society" and was providing "holistic care" to make the ADF more attractive to potential Muslim recruits.

Source: ABC

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MCCA Ltd is a corporate entity, and the name has originated from the acronym of the Muslim Community Cooperative Australia, the pioneering Islamic Finance institution of the country.

Prof Shahjahan Khan: "Recently MCCA has marked a milestone in its journey to keep Muslims away from interest (riba) by passing the management of one billion dollar of Shariah compliance mortgage."

n 30 October MCCA held its 26th AGM in Melbourne with over 100 participating members/shareholders. "It was one of the most successful and well attended AGMs of MCCA in the recent years. The Chairman of MCCA, Professor Akhter Kalam gave a brief history of the company highlighting its land mark achievements."

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IMAGES of jihadists sanctifying God with their bloodshed are so rife on the internet and in the media that for many detractors of Islam the religion and indiscriminate violence have come to seem synonymous.

Inspire, al-Qaeda’s e-magazine, offers would-be lone wolves instructions on how to assemble grenades from bits of plumbing pipe and Christmas fairy-lights. Dabiq, the official journal of Islamic State (IS), praises jihadists for “honouring the Prophet” by killing “French mushrikīn (pagans) gathered for a music concert” and hundreds of other crusader-types.

If Muslims are also killed in the process, they are merely “legitimate collateral damage”, insists Abu Qatada Al-Filistini, a mentor to contemporary jihadists; provided they have not lived reprobate lives, they will be fast-tracked to heaven. But what has Islam traditionally had to say about killing civilians?

The Koran itself says surprisingly little. Far from being a military manual, as some jihadists would present it, the Muslims’ central scripture treats holy war only peripherally. Of its 6,346 verses, some 109—fewer than 2%—invoke the concept of jihad. It is like other holy books in that it contains injunctions to make both peace and war with kuffar, or unbelievers. In the Old Testament for instance, chapter 20 of Deuteronomy details the Torah’s rules of war and sanctions genocide.

Chapter 19 of Luke, in the New Testament, quotes Jesus as saying that anyone who refuses his reign should be killed. And like other scriptures, the Koran is filled with apparent contradictions. A favourite verse of jihadists—“Fight them wherever you find them, and expel them from where they have expelled you”—is preceded by another which prohibits “transgressing the limits”.

Muhammad the Prophet calls for churches, temples, synagogues, mosques and men in monasteries to be safeguarded, even though the Koran demands in verse 47:4 that “when you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks”. He calls for generosity towards captives on one hand, but also allows the capture of women—which has been used by IS to justify their rape.

For greater clarity, scholars turn to the life of Muhammad, whom IS and its satellites claim to emulate. Abdul Rahman Doi, in his masterful "Sharia: The Islamic law", notes that in his ten years of fighting the Prophet spread the faith over a million square miles at the rather low cost of some 1,014 lives.

IS, by contrast, has taken a much smaller territory at the cost of some 25,000 lives in 2014 alone, according to the Sydney-based Institute of Peace. For IS, killing captives is routine, whereas the Prophet killed only two of the 6,564 captives he took, and freed 6,347, according to Mr Doi.

Muhammad’s successor, Abu Bakr, even established a code of conduct that would preclude anything like the terrorism we know today; of enemies, he said, “Do not kill their children, old people and women. Do not even go close to their date palms.” Perhaps the plainest contrast is from Islam’s actual history. Down the centuries, a succession of caliphs went to great lengths to protect the Middle East’s kaleidoscope of sects and faiths, kuffar and otherwise.

Modern commentaries, often distributed by Saudi-financed publishing houses, are less circumspect. One of the most widely circulated interprets the Koran’s neck-smiting verse 47:4 in this way: “Once the fight (jihad) is entered upon, carry it out with the utmost vigour, and strike home your blows at the most vital points (smite at their necks), both literally and figuratively. You cannot wage war with kid gloves.”

Other commentators decry such literalism, rejecting the possibility of jihad waged for territorial or material ends. As the first caliph, Abu Bakr, once said: “a community that engages in tyranny does not prosper, nor do they win victory over their enemies.” Not for nothing do Muslims, jihadists notwithstanding, preface their prayers with the words: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”.
 

Source: The Economist

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While many of the gendered impacts of international conflict, including suffering more rape and sexual violence, and further losses of access to health and education, have been on the record for many years, other more insidious and sometimes unexpected after-effects have only recently come to light.

Not only are women the most disadvantaged by war, poverty, climate change, and imbalanced educational opportunities, but some of them now also face the worst forms of racist harassment as a backlash to terrorism.

For a number of reasons, Muslim women living in Western countries have become the most likely targets of those retaliating and venting their anger in the aftermath of terrorist incidents. British anti-Islamophobia group Tell MAMA estimates that 60 per cent of victims of Islamophobic attacks are women. The group says that veiled women suffer more abuse, with those wearing the niqab (face veil) the most at risk.

It doesn't help that women are already seen as public property when out and about, considered fair game for cat-calling, intimidation, harassment, and physical violence. But when they are dressed in identifiably "Muslim" clothing such as the hijab, or appear to be of Middle Eastern background, this behaviour only intensifies.

Racism and sexism is creating a toxic mix for the hundreds of thousands of Muslim women living in our country. Many are feeling anxious, fearful and alienated.

Public demands to "get out of my country and go back to where you came from" are familiar territory for many Muslim women living in Australia. Indeed, I have also been on the receiving end of many such messages delivered through social media. One kind contributor recently told me that "Muslims are complete scum", before clarifying that "Muslim women are worse than the men".

In the aftermath of Paris and other recent attacks, the violence is only getting worse. Both physical and verbal abuse of women wearing the hijab is documented as taking place on public transport in Sydney, outside landmarks in Melbourne, in airports, in parks and on the streets. Following any media attention on Muslims, reported abuse of Muslim women (and women who look "Muslim") in our own backyard increases.

Calls to remove Arabic from Optus advertising at Casula reinforce that many hostile critics do not distinguish between race and religion. Non-Muslim Arab and South Asian women are also at risk.

Sadly, while Muslim women are at the frontline of the public disadvantage and abuse, they remain in the background of the political responses to terrorism and community divisions. Their voices are silenced or go unheard in the discussion over how to tackle terrorism, radicalisation and create a more harmonious society.

Politicians' meetings with "community leaders" generally consist of photo shoots and roundtables with prominent men within ethnic and religious communities. This is not to say that these meetings are unhelpful, but we should all be concerned if those most vulnerable to violence on our streets are not part of finding solutions to end it.

Ultimately, demonisation and marginalisation of innocent people is not going to solve anything. It's time to have a different conversation – one that explores deeper structural issues. This conversation must engage with the diverse Muslim community, especially women.

While there is no shortage of Muslim women who work prominently within the community, and who are well-positioned to provide advice and support, very few are invited to become part of the national conversation.

Over the past few weeks, we have heard a lot about the need to unite as a community and build a more cohesive society together. A crucial part of that will be allowing space for and seeking out the currently inaudible voices of many Muslim women to be heard, in both the public and political spheres. These voices are some of the most marginalised and most victimised, and they desperately need to come to the surface.

The danger in keeping these voices quiet is not only further entrenching discrimination and inequality but as a society we are also missing out on the real opportunity of using first-hand experiences, insights and knowledge to devise long-lasting solutions of such complex problems. We must let wisdom prevail because we cannot allow more violence, trauma and hate to destroy our humanity.

Dr Mehreen Faruqi is the Greens NSW spokesperson for multiculturalism and the status of women. She is the first Australian Muslim woman MP.

 

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

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The Sydney-based Muslim group, The White Coats, well known for its Homeless Run help with the homeless and the destitute, was turned back yesterday (Saturday) from going to the Homebush Stereosonic venue by over 100 uniformed police including “counter-terrorism” units for fear of "causing a breach of the peace".

According to the spokesperson of the group, they were planning to go to the venue to "dissuade fellow Muslims from indulging in drugs or getting into trouble" at the venue.

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Crescent Institute invites you to its next professional networking event in Brisbane hosted at the Corrs Chambers Westgarth office.

The Hon. Curtis Pitt, State Treasurer of Queensland will be the Guest Speaker at this event. Queensland has played a strong role in Australia's economic growth and prosperity. With the current challenging global economic environment coupled with Australia's transitioning economy, new and innovative business methods are required to maintain and continue economic growth in Queensland. The Hon. Curtis Pitt will set out the challenges and opportunities for the great state of Queensland.

You are invited to join with The Hon. Curtis Pitt, ask questions and of course network with your fellow Crescent Institute members!

Event Details:

Tuesday 15 December  6:00 PM for 6.30 PM Start (Sharp)

6:30 PM - 7:00 PM - Drinks, canapés and networking

7:00 PM - 7:45 PM - Presentation, The Hon. Curtis Pitt

7:45 PM - 9:00 PM - Interact with the Treasurer and networking

Location: Corrs Chambers Westgarth, 111 Eagle Street Brisbane CBD, QLD 4000

Bookings are essential. Early bird tickets are priced at A$15 and regular tickets are A$25 each.

All funds go to supporting Crescent Institute’s non-profit activities.

Enquiries: info@crescentinstitute.com.au

Click Here To Purchase Your Tickets

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Dear Editor

Last week's movie under the stars at Kuraby, that was organised by Junaid Ally and supported by the Lions Club of Kuraby, proved to be a very positive social event. About 1200 people attended from a very diverse range of backgrounds including many Australian Muslims.

I watched facial expressions as people mingled, talked, Muslims serving non-Muslims and non-Muslims serving Muslims at our BBQ stall. Not once did I see that 'look' towards the 'other'. A really positive community event that would have been very educational for many politicians and journalists if they had of attended.

That is what our community is about.

Regards

David Forde
Lions Club of Kuraby

Salaams Editor,

The Australian International Islamic College (AIIC) wishes to place on record its sincere appreciation and thanks to the Crescents of Brisbane for its generous sponsorship of $1,750 (raised through CresWalk2015).

This money will go towards tuition fees for deserving students from refugee background. The money will help reduce the financial burden that most refugee families experience.

We wish to recognise the voluntary efforts and Community Projects undertaken by the Crescents of Brisbane and we wish to continue working in partnership with the Crescents of Brisbane.

Australian International Islamic College
 

"A man who does not read is no better than a man who cannot read."

The CCN Book-of-the Week

Would you like to see the cover of your favourite book on our book shelves below?

Then simply email the title and author to thebookclub@crescentsofbrisbane.org

Double click a book cover to find out what others think of the book

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Cinnabon

Jallaludin: Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with those expensive, double pane, energy-efficient kind.

Mula Nasruddin: So, what's the problem?

Jallaludin: Today, I got a call from the company that installed them. They were complaining that the work had been completed a year ago and I still hadn't paid for them.

Mula Nasruddin: So what did you tell them?

Jallaludin: Habibi, I am not stupid. I told them exactly what their smooth-talking salesman told me last year....that these windows would pay for themselves in a year. Hellooo!, it's been a year, so they're paid for, I told them.

Mula Nasruddin: What happened next?

Jallaludin: There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally hung up. They never called back. I bet they felt like idiots!

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PLEASE NOTE

1. All Islamic Event dates given above are tentative and subject to the sighting of the moon.

2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, except for Lailatul Mehraj, Lailatul Bhahraat and Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event starting in the evening of the corresponding day.

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Disclaimer

Articles and opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN, its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright distasteful.

It is the usual policy of CCN to include from time to time, notices of events that some readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are often posted as received. Including such messages or providing the details of such events does not necessarily imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.

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